Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Third Named, The Orc King
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"Hah... Agh!"
I shot up with a scream.
I was out of breath.
I clutched my chest.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
My heart was pounding violently.
My entire body was tingling.
My hair, damp with sweat, was stuck to my forehead.
A cold sweat slicked my brow.
"........"
Sitting up, I looked around.
A dark, single room.
My humble home.
In one corner, a pile of yet-to-be-discarded 'Cup Noodle Mild Flavor' ramen cups had accumulated.
Come to think of it, I haven't taken out the trash in a few days.
I need to throw that away.
The fully automated wheelchair, plugged into its charger, glowed green, indicating a full battery.
After staring blankly at my surroundings for a moment, I touched my chest again.
A girl's chest that, like my height, had stopped growing at some point, with barely any curves to feel.
Thump, thump.
The pounding of my heart had started to subside.
But.
"Ugh... hnn."
Recalling the memory from moments ago, I shuddered.
My consciousness faded as I stared at the blade protruding from my chest.
The experience of my first death had been a considerable shock.
Thankfully, I hadn't felt much pain.
A brief, chilling sensation in my chest, and then my senses went numb.
I must have taken a fatal blow in one hit, depleting all my HP.
"Synchronization rate."
A 100% synchronization rate with the virtual reality body my brain perceived.
It felt like I had truly experienced death.
Of course, I hadn't actually died.
I stroked the chest that had been pierced and muttered quietly to myself.
"...Is this really okay?"
*
After a moment of hesitation, I had no choice but to log back into the game.
As I crossed dimensions, a strange sensation washed over me, as if I were no longer myself.
[Welcome to Astria Online]
I connected here as another version of me.
Whooosh.
A breeze blew even inside the elite dungeon, the Cave of the Orc King.
The wind seeping in from the cave's entrance gently tickled my hair.
Hop, hop.
My legs still moved just fine.
The experience of death was terrifying, but I couldn't possibly give up these sensations.
A real world where my legs wouldn't move, where there was nothing enjoyable.
The vivid sensations I felt on the Astria Continent were more real than that gray world.
And the feeling of not being myself.
It felt a little different from when I was the Hero, but it was still hard to properly define this feeling.
It was as if a certain part of my life had vanished, and even my emotions had become younger to match my body.
Why did I feel this way?
Perhaps the 'Iseulbi' of reality and 'Rain' were now completely separate beings.
I pouted.
"I've become a total game addict."
If I had to describe my current state in one phrase, 'game addict' was the only one that fit.
The character's revival point was the entrance to the second named monster's area.
The path to the second named was clear.
Since it was an instance dungeon, the monsters I had already defeated didn't respawn.
There was no death penalty.
It would have been unreasonable to have a death penalty in elite dungeons, which were meant to be cleared through repeated death and revival.
Patter, patter.
I hurried my feet and reached the area before the second named.
[2nd Named]
[Level 16 Orc Assassin]
[HP 17700/17700]
[Level 15 Orc Mage (Ice)]
[HP 3000/3000]
[Level 15 Orc Mage (Fire)]
[HP 3000/3000]
"Hmm."
I was back, but honestly, I felt lost.
The second named, the 'Orc Assassin,' attacked from behind, unseen.
In truth, if I tried, I could block it.
It seemed to be some kind of rear ambush skill, so when the Orc Assassin vanished, I just had to turn around and assume a blocking stance.
Unlike the Fighter's 'Counter,' which required perfect timing, the Swordsman's 'Block' skill could intercept an attack without seeing the moment of impact, as long as I was in the blocking stance.
But what about the magic attacks from the 'Orc Mages' that would hit my back in that instant?
"This is the problem."
I sat down in front of the second named, picked up a wooden stick, and started drawing in the dirt floor of the cave.
Scritch, scritch.
My current formation, with all three orcs in front of me.
But when the boss used its rear ambush skill, it would look like this.
If I tried to block the boss's rear ambush after it moved behind me, my back would be completely exposed to the Orc Mages' attacks.
"Th... This is!"
I drew lines here and there, thinking hard, but I couldn't figure out a way to block the attacks of all three monsters.
Block had a 180-degree frontal range.
The boss's rear ambush skill was a 180-degree rear attack.
In that case.
"Ah!"
Something flashed through my mind.
I picked up the stick and drew another line.
Scritch, scritch.
If I blocked facing this way, upwards.
I could block all the orcs' attacks from my left at a 90-degree angle, just within my block's range, and the named monster's rear ambush would also be blocked by the 90-degree range on my right.
The angle couldn't be off by even a little. It had to be a perfect 180 degrees.
But, theoretically, it was possible.
I tossed the stick aside and stood up with determination.
"Alright...!"
It's possible!
With this method, I can defeat the second named!
Hop.
As I jumped into the Orc Assassin's aggro range, he once again bared his fangs and looked at me.
The sharp dagger in the Orc Assassin's hand glinted menacingly in the light of the cave's torches.
A wave of fear washed over me.
That's the thing that burst out of my chest.
But I can't move forward if I'm just scared.
A hero must have courage.
Steeling my resolve, I shouted at the Orc Assassin.
"A-Alright! Bring it on!"
*
[2nd Named]
[Level 16 Orc Assassin]
[HP 3011/17700]
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
The Orc Assassin's rapid five-hit combo relentlessly struck my sword.
After its five-hit combo failed, the Orc Assassin instantly vanished.
Behind me.
I quickly turned around and activated my Block skill.
Clang!
The Orc Assassin's rear ambush was perfectly blocked by my skill.
Thwack!
"Chwiiek!"
As my lightning-fast thrust pierced its body, the Orc Assassin shrieked in pain.
A small smile touched my lips.
The Orc Mages were all defeated.
I could turn around now.
I no longer needed to maintain the 'side block' stance with a perfect 180-degree angle to block attacks from both left and right.
My 'side block' strategy had worked perfectly, allowing me to defeat both Orc Mages without taking a single hit.
It was a stance that demanded extreme concentration to prevent the angle from shifting even slightly, but I had pulled it off brilliantly.
"Die! Die!"
As if venting all my pent-up frustration, I stabbed crazily at the Orc Assassin.
"Kiiiit-!"
Thud.
And finally, its HP depleted, the Orc Assassin's body collapsed to the ground.
"Ah... Aah!"
I did it!
Hop, hop.
I jumped up and down on the spot, feeling like I could fly.
I was so happy.
It felt like dopamine was flooding my brain.
I, the great Hero Rain, finally defeated the second named!
I hadn't succeeded on the first try.
I'd gotten scared by the Orc Assassin's unseen attack after it vanished, messing up my blocking angle.
I'd even taken a hit from an Orc Mage on my back and run away like my butt was on fire.
But thankfully, I hadn't died.
As long as I didn't get hit by the Orc Assassin's rear ambush, I wouldn't lose all my HP in one shot.
"Heehee! Heeheehee!"
After reveling in my joy with a silly laugh, I calmed my racing heart and approached the spot where the Orc Assassin had fallen.
The item I acquired this time was, as expected, a ring.
[Orc Assassin's Ring]
[Elite]
[Strength +5, Agility +5, Intelligence +5]
[Reduces normal damage taken by 1%]
[Reduces critical damage taken by 5%]
Besides the stats, its options were focused on defense.
It seemed earrings boosted offensive stats while rings boosted defensive ones.
"Heh."
I beamed and held the ring dearly in my hands.
I liked it more than the earrings.
With this, getting hit would hurt less.
*
A long, seemingly endless passage.
At its end was the Orc King's chamber.
In the center of the vast, revealed cavern, the Orc King's chamber, was...
'It.'
"Krrk."
The thing letting out a guttural growl was, for all intents and purposes, a 'giant walking pig.'
A massive body that looked at least three times the size of an average adult human.
The Orc King's warhammer looked bigger than my entire tiny body.
If I got hit by that, I would surely die in one hit.
I'll be flattened. Rain will be flattened like a pancake.
Calming my pounding heart, I checked the Orc King's HP.
The number was a whopping 30,800.
"Gasp...."
I sucked in a breath.
That was nearly double the HP of the second named, the 'Orc Assassin.'
How am I supposed to chip all that away?
But there was one silver lining.
"He's alone."
There were no other monsters around the 'Orc King.'
Of course, new monsters might appear as I whittled down its HP, like with the first named, but at least I wouldn't have to face three at once from the start.
In that case, it might actually be easier.
I took a confident step forward.
*Whistle*
"Hey! You big, fat pig!"
"Krrk?"
The third named, the 'Orc King,' looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Pat, pat.
I turned around and patted my own butt.
"Catch me if you can!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
"Eek."
The cave shook.
Do AI-controlled named monsters have emotions?
It seemed the Orc King was seriously angry.
"Krrrrrrrk!"
Thooom!
The Orc King let out a fearsome roar and, belying its massive frame, leaped high into the air.
[3rd Named]
[Level 16 Orc King]
[HP 30800/30800]